The Node does it all. Many reliability issues bedevil it. DAC is ok but use the Schiit. I can’t compare to the Cambridge but the largest determinant of the sound will be the DAC. Does the Cambridge have a digital out so that you can utilize the Schiit?
Cambridge CXN vs Bluesoune Node?
I'm a total n00b to streaming, and have an old-school system comprising Cambridge CXC -> Schiit Gungnir DAC -> ARC LS27 --> ARC SD135 --> Vandersteen Treo speakers. I'm just now unboxing these after 4 years of bumpy life. But my season tickets to the Seattle Symphony have turned into access to streaming through YouTube. So I need a way to get the YouTube audio into my ARC electronics.
I first considered the Audioengine B-Fi, and then the Bluesound Node 2i and the Cambridge CXN. Some have told me the Cambridge has better sound, but only using its built-in DAC; so if I use my external Schiit DAC, I wonder if i would hear the difference.
The other thing I would like to do is access Internet radio. I'm discovering that I enjoy connecting to Accuradio on my Sonos Port when I'm working from home. I'm actually using an Ocean Digital Internet radio as my clock radio in my bedroom. So it would be nice to also connect Internet radio to my good system, although I'm not sure yet whether I want to pay for services like Spotify, etc.
If you were me, with this gear and these interests, what would be the most relevant differences between these options?
Thanks in advance!
I first considered the Audioengine B-Fi, and then the Bluesound Node 2i and the Cambridge CXN. Some have told me the Cambridge has better sound, but only using its built-in DAC; so if I use my external Schiit DAC, I wonder if i would hear the difference.
The other thing I would like to do is access Internet radio. I'm discovering that I enjoy connecting to Accuradio on my Sonos Port when I'm working from home. I'm actually using an Ocean Digital Internet radio as my clock radio in my bedroom. So it would be nice to also connect Internet radio to my good system, although I'm not sure yet whether I want to pay for services like Spotify, etc.
If you were me, with this gear and these interests, what would be the most relevant differences between these options?
Thanks in advance!
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Thanks mahler! Yes, the Cambridge has S/PDIF Coaxial and TOSLINK Optical digital outputs, according to Cambridge Audio's page for the CXN: https://www.cambridgeaudio.com/usa/en/products/hi-fi/cx-series-2/cxn |
BluOS doesn’t do YouTube. You need a Roku etc. for that. It does do Amazon, not sure if the CXN does. But the CXN reportedly supports Chromecast which should do YoiTube. I wouldn’t bet on either of them doing all that you want. A Roku will do it good enough for free mp3's. And it has TuneIn. When you move up to Qobuz or Tidal start with the BluNode. Good luck. |
A friend pointed out that since I already have a DAC I like, a DAC-less streamer may make more sense. Can anyone compare the Node 2i and CXN with the SHD Studio? https://www.minidsp.com/products/streaming-hd-series/shd-studio It's a streaming processor with Dirac Live, and Volumio. Any opinions? Thanks! |
I have been looking at that piece but more for its Room Correction capabilities. When I realized I didn’t need the streamer I started looking at other units. I am hoping to audition the streamer less unit in a few weeks when I will have time to drive 40 miles to the dealer and have a bit of time to audition. The Node2i doesn’t do any Room Processing. I have a Node2 in a system where I changed the AVR by adding Anthem Room Correction in one of their AVRs, and all of the sources benefitted, including the Node2. btw, in an earlier post you referenced You Tube Classical Concerts. I have listened to a few of these, primarily the Live from Wigmore Hall series, and sonically they are a mess, due to the limitations of the You Tube source. They sound the same on my Apple TV as with other sources. The Anthem Room Correction has made me a believer, and the SHP product only costs a few hundred dollars over the price of the Node2. I don’t know beans about the streamer in the SHP, but I would be inclined to go that route |
I’m intrigued. The SHD Studio has Dirac Live, and Volumio Network streamer, but loses the DAC. That’s fine for me, because I like my Schiit DAC. I’m just wondering whether the room correction would be for me more of a gimmick. I can almost hear an ARC friend suggesting that this unit is nowhere near the level of my ARC components. I have never heard a room correction system in action, so it’s good to hear about your experience. By the way, we discovered today that the Symphony concerts will be using the ’inplayer’ platform. The only option is to connect with a web browser---no way to directly stream it. So I will likely have to cast it somehow. Perhaps Airplay from my iPad. The SHD has no way of receiving that, am I correct? The Cambridge does have Airplay capability. The good news is that the inplayer stream appears to be better than YouTube. It’s the same compression and resolution used by the Berlin Phil: AAC compression with a 48kHz / 24-bit resolution and streaming audio bitrate up to 192 kbps. |